Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-09-01

Lew Vanderpoele in the Writer re-
produces ,shat celebrated novelists told
him concerning their methods.
Making books" said Charles Dick
ems, lis very much like building
houses; and the author is more or
less happy combination of architect
and carpenter There must not only
be Inc appreciation of material, and
power to arrange it consistently, but
there must, also, for good results, be
unqualified sympathy between the
author and his subject. No man ever
wrote anything artistically. praise
worthy on any subject with which he
was not in tune. What critic, glanc-
ing at the outside OF an umlabeled box
of goods, would assume To guess out
the secret of its contents? | Doubt if
the yeariest cgotist, suddenly rnmning
upon q new and unknown species Of
tree, would attempt telling you the
color of the wood without scraping
away tho bark. II he did. he would
be doing exactly what critics do when,
Judging simply from his book, they
tell you that between an authors
masterpiece and himself there is only
antaigonism."
'Reviewers, remarked Lord Lytton,
"have been strangely misled in one
respect in passing Judgment upon my
novels: declaring, as ll,cy al Go, that
l never have in any way drawn upon
my own personality. No one, in
reality, has ever done this to a greater
extent than | have. Never have
written novel or drama in which
did not incorporate the greater part of
my views and emotions lis felt them
at the time. Since ain ncucr in the
same intellectual poise for two con-
secutive months. this system OF filing
in my stories by drawing upon my own
personality direct enables me to seem
versatile, so far AS treatment goes in u
way which is, in results, quite as novel
as if mine was the most remarkable
genius on earth.
Charles Rca,le after displaying his
scrap-books sud: you will under
stand all of this better when | have
given you an iGea of my book making
ing views. Most authors. SD | think,
deal too much with i,iiilism all the
way through; believe TAFT writing a
novel is just as material piece of work
rs writing dictionary. All avaIiable
stuff, which you think there is any
possibility of yourusing. should first be
gathered, sorted, and classified. Then
this matter ought 10 be read and re-
read until you are thoroughly familiar
with it. This done, the time is ripe for
the only part of your novel which is
altogether idsal-the selection of your
plot. In this you can nuiridle your
imagination and hnt it play in any or
all directions il may choose. Your plot
once selected, YOU must study it and
WOO it and carl.ss it as yon would any
coy girl upon whom your heart might
be set When once She is entirely
yours treat her as tradesman
treats his newly won hrids--set
her to work. Then the ideal part is
all over wkh and dead earnest begins.
You fit facts generally lard ones. as
most facts arc-to the various parts of
your plot, until that romantic maiden
becomes, by contact with matter-of-
fact things mattcF-of fa.t herself. II
you let her keep too mach of her OLD
time romance you spoil TIE book. Ifyou
leave too little nf i and make your
combination al Inatter-ot-f:set you sur
pass your age and do j novel which
will be read wears and years after you
become wOrm-meat."